Method and apparatus for making plate glass



1,524,259 F. V. KESSELMAN METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING PLATE GLASS M Y 1H FEEDING l H Filed July 24. 1 22 DEuvEmma h INVENTOR r Patented Jan. 27, 1925.

{UNITED STATES 1,524,259 PATENT OFFICE.

FLOYD V. KESSELM-AN, OF BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA. ASSIGNOR TO FRANK E. TROUT- MAN AND CHARLES, H. CHRISTIE, BOTH OF BUTLER, PEHNSYLVANIL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING LPLATE GLASS.

Application filed July 24,

object is to provide an improved system for" casting sheets of high-quality plate glass for use in automobile wind-shields and windows, and for other purposes where the glass is required to have the highest possible quality.

In the usual methods of casting plate glass, in which the glass is placed upon a table in front of a roll and is then rolled into a sheet, the castin table is usually several feet long and wide, and products a correspondingly large Sheet, When small sheets are required it is necessary to cut this large sheet intosections, thus addingto the cost of the product through increased labor and breakage. Much of the fiat glass that is now made in small sizes is therefore produced by drawing methods, but, although methods of glassdrawing have been greatly improved in recent years, the drawn product is still not as perfect as the best quality of plate glass;

According to my present invention I cast 85 flat lass by prov'idin roll tables corresponding in size to the s eetsto be cast, and I deposit the molten glass upon the rolltable by means of a glass feeder which operates intermittentl in much the same W manner as the gobfee ing devices employed in the manufacture of bottles and other hollow glassware Such gob-feeding devices, as is well known in the bottle-manufactoring art. discharge the glass in a succession of pulsations usually separated by restricted necks or threads which are separated by means of suitable shears. Such gobs are usually elongated vertically. In order to deposit such a gob or gather of glass upon a horizontal casting table it is necessary to move either the table or the feeding outlet during the discharge ofthe gather. It is-mm'e convenient. to move the table than thefeeding outlet. and I therefore provide means for bri ging the small 1922. Serial No. 577,068.

casting tables in succession beneath the out lot of the glass feeder, and for causin each table to move beneath the feeder while the glass is being discharged, so as to lay the glass in front of the flattening rolls.

In the specific embodiment of my invention selected for illustration in the accompanying drawing, I provide a circular platform carrying a suitable number of individual -roll tables and mounted for rotation upon a circular track. The parts are so proportioned that when each table is brought beneath the outlet of the glass feeder the glass falls upon the table immediately in front of the roll and the platform is rotated at such a speed as to deposit the discharged glass evenly in front of the roll. The glass is rolled upon the tables and removed therefrom while the tables are being carried with the platform, so that the operation is made practically continuous.

In the drawing, Fig. l is a plan view showing the essential parts of a casting machine constructed in accordance with my invention; and Fig. 2 is a side elcvational view )f the same apparatus, the glass feeder befg shown in section.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral .1- I indicates a circular platform provided with wheels 3 running upon a circular track 4. 85 Under the edge of the table 2 is a rack 5 which meshes with a gear wheel 6 carried by a shaft 7 which is mounted in stationary bearings 8 and carries a gear wheel 9 meshing with a pinion 10 on a drive shaft 11, one end of which, as shown, is mounted in a hearing 11', and which is connected to any suitable source of powerrnot shown. I

Mounted on the platform 2 are a number of roll tables -15 each provided with the usual roll 16, and so arranged that the rolls move radially with respect to the axis of the platform 2. Four such roll tables are shown on -the drawing, but this number may obviously be increased or decreased, as may be found convenient.

Above the platform 2, and at. one side thereof. is a glass feeder which may be of any type capable of delivering glass in a seriesof pulsations or gobs. The feeder shown on the drawing consists of a receptacle 20 which may be supplied with glass from a tank furnace or other suitable-source, and which is pr vided with a downwardly opening discharge outlet 21 above which a plunger 22 is arranged to reciprocate vertically. A pair of shears, indicated diagramatically at 23, reciprocate below the glass outlet 21 and sever the glass after each mass means of the power-driven gearing to bring the tables 15 successively beneath the outlet 21 of the glass feeder. This rotation of the tables may be continuous, or if desired may be intermittent, the main requirement being that each table shall be brought beneath the glass outlet at the proper time to receive its charge of glass. lVhether the plat-from rot-ates intermittently or continpusly, it must of course be in motion while the glass is being received. The glass first issues from ill the outlet 21 with a rounded leading end.

and by proper manipulation of the plunged 22, according to methods well known in the gob feeding art, the glass is kept substantially uniform in diameter as it issues from the outlet. This depending gather of glass is received upon the table 15 which, at the time, is beneath the glass feeder, in the manner shown in Fig. 2, where a gather A, is in Jrocess of being received on one of the tables-d5 and is about to be cut off by the.

shears 23 at the reduced or necked-in portion B. When the glass is thus cut oil the portion which is still suspended atthe time of severance falls upon the table, producing an even mass or welt (l immediately in frhnt of the roll it. The mass of glass shown at C has a slight curvature concentric with the axis of the platfrom 2, but as the platform is large in comparison with the size of the roll tables. this curvature does not materially affect the shape of the finished plates.

As shown in Fig. 1, the glass is deposited on the roll-tables successively at the point marked Feeding and passes from this position through the dotted line position, where the mass C is shown upon the table, to the'position marked Rolling, where the roll 16 is moved to and fro on the table 15, thus forming the glass G into a sheet. This sheet ay be removed at the'point marked Ddlivering or at any other suitable point between the rolling position and tho feeding position.

The term plate glass as used herein, includes any flat glass article. as distinguished from hollow ware, whether the limited to the exact details of construction 1 herein shown and described, since these may .be variously modified within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The method of making flat glass that comprises delivering molten glass through a downwardly openingoutletin a succession of gobs or gathers, moving a series of casting tables in succession beneath said outlet through an annular path to receive said gobs thereon, and rolling said gobs into plates on said tables.

2. Apparatus for casting fiat glass that comprises a container for molten glass having a downwardly opening outlet, 8. plurality of casting tables, means for moving said tables successively beneath said outlet, through an annular path, means for discharging gobs or gathers of glass through said outlet upon-said tables, and means for rolling said gobs into plates upon said tables.

3. Apparatus for making flat glass com prising a tank furnace, a gob feeder for delivering glass from said furnace, and means for receiving gobs of glass from said feeder and for forming said gobs into plates, comprising tables each movable through an annular path and provided with a roll positioned adjacent to the stream of glass when the same is being deposited on the table.

4. Apparatus for making flat glass comprising a. rotatable supportand a plurality of casting tables carried by said support and arranged to move continuously in succession beneath said feeder when said sup port is rotated. and a roll for each table arranged parallel and adjacent to the line of deposit of the glass on the table.

5. Appartus for making flat glass comprising a tank furnace, a gob feeder for delivering glass from said furnace. a rota-' table support. a. plurality of casting tables carried by said support with their longitudinal center lines disposed radially with respect to said support, and means for rotating said support .to move said tables in succession beneath said feeder.

6. Apparatus for making flat glass comprising a tank furnace. a gob feeder for delivering glass from said furnace. a rotatable support,'a plurality of casting tables carried by said support with their lo'n tudinal center lines disposed radially with res ect to saidsupport. transverse rolls carried by said tables, and means for rotating said support to move said tables in succession f weneaaili said feeder and to receive gobs of glass from said feeder in front of said rolls. 1

7. Apparatus for making fiat glass com prising a tank furnace, a gob feeder for delivering glass from said furnace, a circular track below said feeder, a rotatable platform having Wheels mounted on said track, a circular rack carried by said platform, power-driven means for engaging said rack to rotate said platform, and a plurality of casting tables carried by said platform and adapted to move successively beneath said feeder when said platform is rotated.

8. Apparatus for making fiat glass comprising a tank furnace, a gob feeder for delivering glass from said furnace, a circular track below said feeder, a rotatable platform having Wheels mounted-on said track, a circular rack carried by said platform,

power-driven means for engaging said rack to rotate Said platform, and a, plurality of casting tables carried by said platform and having their longitudinal center lines radially with respect to said platform, the said tables carrying transversewolls and being adapted to move successively beneath said feeder when said table is rotated, and to receive gobs of glass from said feeder in front of said rolls.

In testimony whereof I the said FLOYD V. KESSELMAN have hereunto. set my hand.

FLOYD V. KES SELMAN. 

